Exterminating Angel

The U.S. cost of living increased in January by the most since February 2013, led by higher costs for gasoline and other goods and services that indicate inflation is gathering momentum.

The consumer-price index rose a larger-than-forecast 0.6% after a 0.3% gain in December, Labor Department figures showed Wednesday. Compared with the same month last year, costs paid by Americans for goods and services rose 2.5%, the most since March 2012.

French investment bank Natixis makes a related observation:

The return of inflation in the euro zone with the rise in the oil price will drive the European Central Bank to give up QE […] Our estimate is that an end to QE would raise interest rates by 110 basis points. [A basis point is 1/100th of a percentage point.]

Wait… Inflation is what the Fed has been looking for. And the latest numbers reveal it may have already reached the Fed’s target of 2%.

If you’ll recall, the Fed set itself two targets: Unemployment would have to fall below 5%. And inflation would have to rise above 2%. Reaching those two targets would prove that the economy was healthy enough to allow the Fed to raise rates.

Higher rates of inflation – higher prices – signal more consumer demand. And more labor demand, too. It suggests there are more people with more money ready to spend it. How could that ever be a bad thing?

And now, with the Fed’s key targets hit, we’re ready to return to the good ol’ days, right?

Oh, dear, dear reader… If it were only that simple!

The typical U.S. household’s income is below the level of 1999. Higher consumer prices will make it harder to keep up living standards.

But the bigger problem is debt.

Real money – backed by gold – is limited. This limits the amount of debt… because there’s only a limited amount of money to lend.

The post-1971 fake-money system, on the other hand, allowed debt to creep up… and then gallop away. Now, there’s more than $200 trillion of it worldwide – about three times the global economic output.

And here’s the thing: As debt rises, inflation becomes an exterminating angel. Welcome at first… then deadly.

Rising prices signal to lenders that the amounts they are owed are losing buying power. They will demand higher rates of interest to protect themselves.

Great Extinction

But this is a world whose major institutions – banks, pension funds, governments, large corporations… all the major players in the Deep State system – have flourished on extremely low interest rates.

Now, like dinosaurs that have adapted to the tropics, they’ll shiver, die, and go extinct when the chilly winds blow.

And they could blow hard…

Even an increase of just 1% in the cost of servicing debt – if applied to the world’s debt load – would cost more than $2 trillion a year in interest.

Everyone who had to borrow – those aforementioned major players – would suddenly find themselves unable to continue living in the style in which they’d become accustomed.

Ordinary households would be in trouble, too. Mortgage rates would go up. House prices would fall. Credit markets would “seize up,” making it difficult to refinance old loans.

They would have to cut back… laying off workers and canceling expansion projects… or go broke.

Your stocks could easily drop to half of today’s prices… and stay there. Your pension might have to be trimmed. Even the government, if forced to pay more to service its debt, would have to reduce spending.

But don’t worry. The central banks have the matter in hand, right?

Now that inflation and unemployment are in line, they can let rates rise, right? This will tamp down inflation, right?

Recession Warning

It won’t happen…

As we’ve been warning, the Fed can never voluntarily return to a normal interest rate policy because it has created a world that depends on an abnormal one.

Here’s what will happen: The Fed will talk about raising rates. It may even raise them another quarter point or more.

But a recession and a bear market are coming, probably before the end of this year. If President Trump were smart, he’d be trying to get them to start soon so he could blame them on Obama. The longer they take to arrive, the more they have his brand on them.

Markets and economies are part of the natural world. They have to breathe in and breathe out. Their lungs fill with ambition and optimism. Then, they must exhale, blowing out the mistakes and disappointments.

But when the “correction” comes, the giant raptors in Northern Virginia and the megafauna of Manhattan will howl for succor.

The Fed will immediately abandon its pretense of returning to normal. Instead, it will buy stocks and bonds.

And it may ban cash… impose negative interest rates… rain down money from helicopters… and come up with novel new ways of distorting, delaying, and defrauding the economy.

Regards,

Bill

Market Insight

BY CHRIS LOWE, EDITOR AT LARGE

This inflation indicator is also flashing red…

Today’s chart shows a basket of 19 of the most commonly traded commodities, as tracked by the Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index.

How Trump Needs to Boost CybersecurityAfter details of the Russian hacking scandal became public, Donald Trump vowed before taking office to make cybersecurity a top priority. Here’s what he needs to do…

Mailbag

Today, more kind words from readers for Bill… following Tuesday’s issue, “An Homage to Love,” about his dying mother.

The process of losing parents often exposes emotions in their most raw form. The grace with which you express your evolving grief is a profound expression of love that, if she is aware, will certainly make your mother smile. As for me, I truly admire your tributes to the loving mother that she has obviously been.

– Richard B.

Hello, Bill. Sad to hear about your mother. Will say a prayer.

– Padraig F.

Your Valentine’s Day article was excellent. A man can’t ask for more than a wonderful mother, a faithful and loving wife, great kids, and good health. The Lord blessed me with all.

My wife and valentine of 63 years passed away last year. Time does not heal a broken heart, but you just learn to live with it and continue on. The beginning and the end are important, but it’s the journey in between that matters.

– Ken D.

Mother knows best… Uncle Edward is there, hovering there, waiting to welcome her home. You have a wonderful family. Your mother must be so proud of each of you.

– Ann S.

I will pray for your mother, Bill. Thank you for your daily diaries. Your wisdom and intelligence are always welcome.

– Dale A.

Thanks for sharing with us that touching moment with your mother. Life isn’t always about money and politics (in fact, REAL life rarely has to do with either).

In your post, you compared yourself to "a drunken boatman… going wherever the current takes him.” There is so little in life we can really control (even when we’re sober) because we are constantly rubbing up against the desires and actions of others, and are affected by so many events we have no part in creating. So it is important not to take ourselves too seriously, to keep praying, give every moment our best shot and hope for the best (even when, looking at the world around us, we expect the worst).

I love reading your Diary, and I think you do a very good job putting the events of the day in a more human perspective. Keep it up!

– John T.

In Case You Missed It…

Like Bill, master trader Jeff Clark is warning that another major crisis is on the way…

Last night, in a live emergency briefing, Jeff showed readers his three-pronged crisis warning system and how he used it to predict the last four market collapses.

Two of Jeff’s warning signs are already flashing. And he expects the third to trigger as soon as May. So if you missed last night’s briefing, we urge you to watch it while you still can.

You’ll learn why the next crash is likely right around the corner… and why this is exactly what Jeff hopes will happen…

You see, Jeff’s unique trading strategy thrives in bear markets. In the financial disaster of 2008, Jeff delivered 15 different triple-digit plays for his readers. To learn how he did it, watch the briefing here.

Want more stories like this one?

The only daily newsletter featuring the unique ideas of bestselling financial author Bill Bonner. From Wall Street to Washington, Bill leaves no idol un-busted and no stone unturned…

COMPANY

POLICIES

JOIN OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER

Follow best-selling financial writer Bill Bonner as he reveals how Wall Street… Washington… and
the business world truly operate.

Protected by copyright laws of the United States and international treaties. This website may only be used pursuant to the subscription agreement and any reproduction, copying, or redistribution (electronic or otherwise, including on the World Wide Web), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of Legacy Research Group, LLC.